Hose Cleaning...Why?

[LSAT]

I was discussing hose cleaning with someone the other day..the discussion came up with an interesting comparison for those that think it's important to regularly clean their hose.

CPAP: Your room air is filtered before it goes into the CPAP (Blower)..The air is humidified and blown through the hose to be breathed by you.

FURNACE: Your room air is filtered before it goes into the furnace (Blower)…the air is humidified and blown through the air ducts to be breathed by everyone…

How many people regularly clean their furnace air ducts? How is that different from your CPAP hose?

[Dog Slobber]

I don't think it's necessary to clean the hose all that often.

Having said that, with the furnace analogy there are a lot of places for dust, allergens and other foreign objects to settle before entering your system. There is no single, direct path from furnace to vent to lungs. The same is not true for a CPAP system.

[raisedfist]

The only time I clean mine is once I recover from being sick. I tend to swap hoses about once a year just because they are so cheap but I refuse to follow any DME cleaning schedule.

[SewTired]

I clean mine at least once a month and after a cold/flu. I clean my bathtub and shower about the same amount. If you use water in your humidifier bin, your hose and humidifier bin experience dampness for many hours. That's how you get mold, algae and bacteria.

If you choose not to clean it, that is your choice.

[Grace~~~]

I'm in hot sticky humid Florida and definitely do not need the humidifier. My autoset came with one and I was thrilled when I found I could take it off and make it much shorter by purchasing a new end piece. I still feel like I have too much humidity even with the central air on and an additional unit in my bedroom! To *me* the word LUXURY in regard to sleep starts with cold, dark and DRY. I guess we covet what is rare and most likely are not grateful enough for what is abundant?

Being born in raised in this environment I have seen how quickly mold and algae and all sorts of nasties can grow almost before your eyes. We also have 20 acres of greenhouse and another 20 of shade house and the remnants of a once large orange grove that teach lessons of bacteria and fungus and insects and rot that is impossible to deny.

In addition, I am immune compromised. I wash the nose pillow before every use. Even if I wake up in the night and go back to bed a few hours later I always wash the pillow. I wash it in Dr. Bronners peppermint and I love the smell and sensation and feeling that I associate with cleanliness and happiness. I soak and wash my entire mask every two or three days.

I only wash my hose after a bout with infection and antibiotics. (too often lately ). I do use vinegar but I just despise the smell of vinegar when it has nothing to do with food. I don't think my Dr. Bronners is good for the hose though?

Otherwise, if I am on long healthy (ish) stretch I don't even consider the hose contaminated at all.

...and I think most would consider me a bit (quite a bit! ) of a germaphobe ... though really it's just my minimalist aesthetic but it mimics on the surface a germaphobe vibe

So, does anyone use anything else other than vinegar in their hose when they wash it? I rinse rinse rinse but still smell it even when I use a little scented oil on a cotton pad by the intake. It only lasts a day/night ...so no big deal... but still I'm always looking for ways to improve the CPAP experience!

[Mark55]

I wash mine with regular dish soap about every 3 to 4 months. Still on my original slimline which is a tad over a year old,....no leaks, or mold.

ETA: Grace, I live in Florida as well, but find I like my humidifier set on 4 the best. I seem to have less nasal dryness that way. Being an HVAC contractor, I have a pretty high tech AC system that keeps the humidity inside at about 40% or less. Most Florida homes will run 50 to 60% in the summer months.

[igotsuckeredtoo]

Small humid place = growth of anything in there that can grow. You are lucky your hose is not contaminated with anything that can grow in it.
Be grateful and keep an eye on it. Since the So Clean incident I have been washing it daily, prior to using that So clean once a week was fine.
I am still waking up with congestion I link to the So Clean.

[TropicalDiver]

How is that different from your CPAP hose?

Since you asked....
1) The majority of homes (at least in my area) do not add humidity to the air with furnace forced air;
2) Even when furnace forced air is humidified, my guess is that relative humidity is much lower in the ducting than in the xpap hose -- and absolute humidity will be *way* higher in xpap;
3) Forced air does not run typically run for hours (as a xpap does);
4) Any harmful products can be better dispersed in forced air vs xpap (think in ppm);
5) It is simply not practical to clean furnace ducting super often.

Now look at your uncleaned furnace ducting. If you could: shrink the diameter to that of a hose, hook a mask to it, get a pressure setting of say 10, and breath directly?

For me the question is simple: How do I avoid growing (or mitigate after growth) biologics in the moist parts of the machine? That is another thread.

[palerider]

FURNACE: Your room air is filtered before it goes into the furnace (Blower)…the air is humidified and blown through the air ducts to be breathed by everyone…

Well, looking up at the register in the ceiling, there's dust that's collected around it... If there's enough dust getting through the filter to collect around the register, I'm sure there's dust that's also collected in the ducting.

That's why there's duct cleaning services. (makes note to vacuum the register).

That said, I'm sure that the air blowing through the ducting is cleaner than the air floating around the house, since it's at least filtered somewhat.